Dry conditions are likely to continue throughout autumn in several regions across southern Victoria and demand for water will also remain strong.
In these conditions, we encourage you to regularly read your water meter and so you can track use against your entitlement and can plan to buy or sell additional seasonal or permanent allocation.
We have a zero-tolerance approach to unauthorised water take. We remind customers to only take water from an irrigation channel, pipe or regulated river if you have a confirmed order in place and to stick to ordered volumes and start/finish times.
Our automated system alerts us when water goes into the network that does not have a confirmed order time associated with it. Our Compliance Officers will investigate these instances, and any reports received from the public, irrigators and our field team.
We will be monitoring rivers and doing more inspections to detect water usage, including checking customers whose usage exceeded their entitlement in the previous irrigation season.
Groundwater and Rivers
Dry conditions mean pumping bans and restrictions remain in place on some rivers and creeks. More waterways could have restrictions introduced in autumn and you should be aware of these. You can call your local roster hotline or field officer for information.
We continue to monitor stream and river flows and if conditions improve significantly over a sustained period, restrictions may be lifted.
Online groundwater trading is now available for all our customers, making it easier for licenced groundwater users to buy and sell permanent or temporary entitlement in southern Victoria.
Despite the dry conditions, groundwater levels are relatively healthy across southern Victoria, but levels can fluctuate at a local and regional level over time.
Constructing additional bores and deepening existing bores on property can help mitigate against this risk. A Bore Construction Licence is required to construct or alter a bore for licenced take and use of groundwater and we recommend you speak to us before applying for a licence.
Groundwater and rivers customers should note that end of season meter reads will likely commence in early April in the southwest and early May in Gippsland. We kindly remind customers they have a responsibility to keep their meter sites clear and safe and can help by following these easy steps.
Macalister Irrigation District
Current allocations for the Macalister Irrigation District are 100 percent High Reliability Water Share and 50 percent Low Reliability Water Share. Seasonal allocation gets reviewed each fortnight during the season until allocation reaches 100 percent for High Reliability Water Shares and 100 percent for Low Reliability Water Shares.
A drier than average autumn forecast means we are expecting to see continued high water demand until the end of the season. We’re also likely to see low inflows into Lake Glenmaggie meaning water allocations will be tight compared to previous wet years. Agriculture Victoria water planning resources to help you budget and get the most from every drop.
We recognise that high demand can make it challenging for some customers, and we encourage you to speak with our planners if you have not been able to find a suitable time for a water delivery.
We strongly encourage you to continue to order water following our recommended steps to maximise efficiency when ordering water.
Werribee and Bacchus Marsh irrigation districts
Current allocations for the Werribee and Bacchus Marsh Irrigation District are 100 percent High Reliability Water Share and 55 percent Low Reliability Water Share. Seasonal allocation gets reviewed each fortnight during the season until allocation reaches 100 percent for High Reliability Water Shares and 100 percent for Low Reliability Water Shares.
Demand over summer has been strong, with deliveries for the season above the five-year average. This demand will continue into autumn, but the team are well prepared, and it will be business as usual.
With water in high demand, we encourage entitlement holders to consider trading their season allocation.
Our new investigators will be out and about in the district increasing our compliance activities including unauthorised water use, illegal works on our land and Crown Land, and tampering with assets.
We will also be undertaking planned works in winter on the 4/1 and Main pipelines. The works will be planned to minimise impact on supply and we’ll notify customers once we’ve finalised our construction schedule.